The Week 2 matchup between Green Bay and Detroit will be a disappointment after a week of great Monday Night Football football. For anyone not a Packers fan, this is the truth. After a 38-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints, this division match against a weaker Lions team should be enough to get Aaron Rodgers' Packers back on track. The game will likely be over at halftime with the Packers being heavily favored against the Lions on Monday Night Football. To be exact, the Packers are 10.5 points ahead at home.
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This and Rodgers history of success against Lions make it difficult to understand why MNF games are being scheduled. The Packers and Lions were selected for Week 2 out of all the available Monday night games. Talk about dropping the ball. These games are set up well in advance. However, the Lions have never done anything worthy of them being in primetime. Let's be real about this. Flex scheduling is not an option on Mondays, because that's the only game. It doesn't matter that the Lions will be facing Aaron Rodgers, the defending MVP. We have had enough stellar performances this year, that most people would agree that this MNF trip can be skipped.
As I write this, the Los Angeles Rams (and the Indianapolis Colts) are still on the slate of early-afternoon games. This should make it a better game than the Packers or Lions. The Tennessee Titans don't get many primetime games and they face the Seattle Seahawks in the late afternoon. Although the Titans won in Week 1 by a lopsided score, I don't expect them to do as badly in Week 2. There were two games in Week 2 which could have been more favorable for MNF.
Although the NFL loves to have a variety of teams on national television, it seems that ESPN and MNF receive more duds each season than NBC with Sunday Night Football. SNF on NBC is now what MNF was on ABC and ESPN. SNF scheduling has the advantage that NBC can swap out any matchup for another. Unfortunately, this is not possible on Monday nights. Fans are forced to watch games like the Packers and Lions when they're scheduled.
It is very simple. DO NOT SET UP THE LIONS ON MNF. Please. Throw them on SNF if the league wants them to be in primetime. NBC has the ability to flex for a better game. Since 1991, the Lions have never won a playoff match. Barry Sanders was just starting his career when the Lions won their last postseason game. This is not an issue with the Lions. However, SNF and MNF should be able to schedule the best possible matchups each week. It's impossible to imagine anyone looking at Week 2's schedule and saying, "Packers vs. Lions" is the best matchup. No way in hell.
